Goodbye 707, Hello 530

It all went something like this. We closed on Loveland’s 707 at 10:00 AM. We loaded up our cars and pulled out of my parent’s driveway at 11:00 AM, making a quick stop for a goodbye Chick-fil-A lunch, and then headed east. Eighteen hotel nights, 80 or so slices of pizza (believe it or not, I’ve lost five pounds) and many, many free house beers later, Adam, Mickey, and I stepped into our new Wisconsin home-530.

Some of my favorite life-memories come with the past month. In semi-chronological order:

Thank you to Courtney and Jeremy for our “goodbye Colorado day.” After church, we went to lunch at Rock Bottom, shopped around, and then saw Batman at the IMAX in Denver. The lunch was DELICIOUS and the movie was fantastic, but I am most thankful for the copious amounts of time I was able to spend with my great friends.

To everyone who volunteered or physically helped us pack and move our belongings into storage, thank you! We had so much help that it only took an hour to get everything into the storeroom at my parents’ shop.

Our Bible study instigated a goodbye “Pot-Kluck.” I wish I could eloquently and completely state my love and appreciation for this group. Instead, I miss you all dearly and I pray you continue to influence the lives of young married couples.  Thank you for your presence in our first year of marriage!

I enjoyed goodbye walks around Loveland thanks to Rachel and Em. Thank you dear friends for coffee dates, goodbye lunches, and a goodbye-with-wine night.

In the beginning, we had quite a bit of spare time on our hands. Adam took it upon himself to provide impromptu swimming lessons at our hotel’s pool. Realizing I cried through most of my childhood lessons, he upped the ante by attempting to persuade me to put my face in the water without plugging my nose. I am sure our fellow swimmers thought I had a learning disability of some sort after listening to my whining and Adam’s enthusiasm at my minuscule water accomplishments. Comical? Yes!

We made some great new Madison friends. Thank you new Madison friends for refreshing dinners comprised of food other than pizza. We enjoyed learning a new and addicting game-Settlers of Catan.  Thank you for the use of your washer and drier. Thank you for offering your basement as a retreat from the hotel. Thank you Bible study friends for introducing us to our new great and gracious Madison friends.

One of my new favorite memories includes my parents driving up our new street in the giant Penske truck, which they loaded with all of our belongings and drove 1000 miles from Colorado. I cried when I hugged my dad. Between Adam, my Mom, my Dad, and my in-laws, we unloaded everything in 2 hours. I will forever treasure the time I spent unpacking boxes with my mom. Thank you dear parents, I love you and I miss you so much.

I do not want people to think that this past month has been comprised of nothing but rainbows and butterflies. Adam and I fought. A lot. I do not recommend starting the school year from a hotel room. I miss little-and big-parts of Colorado. I miss my parents and my friends. I miss Loveland’s tap water. I miss commuting with Slacker and Steve. I miss Rez volleyball. I miss the staff and my middle schoolers at ICSF.
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. We are settling in and enjoying Wisconsin.